<p>At the moment my school's in quarter system and is switching to semester schedule. For me the quarter system is brutal, difficult, and unmerciful. </p>
<p>The only thing this has taught me was how to economical study enough as to not linger in the other courses. And to be honest this really defeats the purpose for me, as it leaves me not enjoying what I'm learning or fully understanding it but memorizing enough to regurgitate it when required and often. </p>
<p>Instead of thinking about what i'm working on or what it really means, I have to hurry through hundreds of pages of material so that I don't fall behind. The only thing I'm left with is how to schedule my time so that I don't...mess up the tests on Tuesday from ch.4-5 I learned on Monday, study for other courses tests due on Wednesday but not before I write the lab reports as well as prelab materials for the labs after those tests, if I could as well finish up on the online homework due before the 3 hour labs, but not before I study for the midterm next Monday and the other the week after the first midterm because that one's due next Monday! Aside from the midterms not around at least a week, this is a constant recurring theme throughout the quarter which really leaves me pulling hairs. </p>
<p>Either my schedule is abnormal or this is the norm in quarter systems, which are in the end against us students..at least to me. Thankfully we're switching to a semester schedule this year and I was told this is for the benefit of the students. The last time I had semester system was in highschool and it was allot more student friendly and laid back compared to what I have now. It wasn't easy but it was not stressful. That being said, I was told these classes would be longer and more in-depth compared to what we have now.</p>
<p>Thing is, we'll be taking a bunch more classes then what we have now. We would at least take 6 - 7 classes, which to be honest I don't see the benefit in that. </p>
<p>Does this mean a more slow torturing time compared to the quick torture-fest we have now or it is different in the benefit of the students?</p>
<p>Having 6-7 final exams and projects due in the same week is hell.</p>
<p>If your total work load stays the same, I would personally prefer quarters over semesters. Fewer courses at a time. I can’t focus on more than three courses at a time anyway.</p>
<p>As someone who has had both I prefer Semesters.</p>
<p>Classes don’t go by as fast as they do in a quarters system. Also since the semester ends in early may as oppose to June for quarters you will be more available for summer jobs and internship opportunities</p>
<p>Quarter system is seriously unbelievable. I think that you take the same # of classes/units and cover the same material as you do in a class at a school on the semester system, but you do it almost twice as fast. Also, you generally have 1 or 2 midterms AND a final exam EVERY QUARTER, which is like 10 weeks. And that’s in math/science classes. In a history class, you could have a midterm, 2 6 page papers, and a final exam. And with the added stress that basically each of the 3 tests is 20-40% of your grade, it’s just stressful as hell.</p>
<p>The only advantage quarter system has is that you can take more/different kinds of classes every year.</p>
<p>If you can choose a school only based on semester vs. quarter system, definitely go semester system.</p>
Now you are really just whining about your workload, which has nothing to do with your academic calendar. In my intro philosophy class on a semester system, we had four 5-page papers, a midterm and a final. Six major assignments over 15 weeks comes out to the same average workload as four major assignments over 10 weeks.</p>
<p>That’s a pretty significant advantage. A midterm, 2 papers, and a final exam is not a heavy workload. </p>
<p>The trick with the quarter system is to just not fall behind. If you get your work done consistently and in a timely manner, it’s not a problem.</p>
<p>I’m only a freshman (soon to be sophomore…!) but I have mostly liked being on the quarter system so far. While I feel like it does get very stressful at times because the classes are so much more fast-paced, I think the benefit of getting to take extra classes in college is going to be worth it, at least for me.</p>
<p>My dad was a student at UCLA during the time when UCLA made the switch from semester system to quarter system, and he said that the quarter system was much more work. However, that may have been because quarter system was new there and professors hadn’t yet figured out how to make the courseload more manageable in a quarter system.</p>
<p>Personally, I have only ever been in the quarter system for college, and I think it is inconvenient in the sense that I need time to figure out a study strategy that goes well with the course material and the professor’s teaching style, and by the time I figure it out, half the quarter is already over. </p>
<p>The advantage though is that if you take a class and then find out that you hate it, at least you will only have 10 weeks of it. Either that or drop it, but that would not be a good idea if you’re already too far in or if it’s required. If you like the class though, you can decide to take more classes that are similar. Basically, a mistake is not going to last you an entire semester so it’s more flexible.</p>